The emergence of the autocephalies (of the Eastern Orthodox Churches) is a multi-layered and complex phenomenon. Complex as the situation might be, the national – even nationalistic – dimension often plays a role, even more so in the modern and contemporary periods.The author starts by reflecting on the "inappropriateness" or non-relevance of the category of "nation" (in the political or civil sense) in ecclesiology, and then on the visible bonds that can express and regulate the communion between local churches.
Famerée, J. (2016). Autocephaly. Questions from a Roman Catholic. Saint Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly, 60(1-2), 133-147. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/181526 (Original work published 2016)